By Your Side
by torib0o
Summary: Shikamaru has an important decision to make, what will he do and how will it effect him and Neji? WARNINGS: Yaoi, ShikaNeji, MAJOR OOC, Crossdressing/ Trans, AU, WAFF. READ THE A/N. SHIKANEJI, ShikaNeji


A/N: Still in the mood for one-shots. Normally I hate AUs, especially high school fics but this one's been in my head for a bit.

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE CONTINUING.

In this though Shikamaru is still younger than Neji though he is a grade ahead of him while the rest of characters from the show are a grade behind Neji and two grades behind Shikamaru.

My reasoning for this is, in the academy Neji was technically a grade ahead of Shikamaru and the rest of the rookie 9 but Shikamaru advanced to chuunin before the rest of them, so in this high school fic it will be a play off of their genin status. Neji, Lee, and Tenten all had a year on the rest of the characters as genin but Shikamaru became a chuunin first.

Thus their grade levels will be: Shikamaru - senior, Team Gai - junior, Rest of rookie 9 – sophomore (or freshman depending on your geographic location, it doesn't really matter but in some places high schools consist of three years while in others it consists of four.) Tsk, whatever all that matters is that the rest of the rookie 9 are two grades behind Shika.

WARNINGS: MAJOR OOC, CROSS-DRESSING, MENTIONS OF SEX BETWEEN MALES

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

--

Shikamaru sighed as he leaned back against booth he was sitting in. He let his head tilt back, trying to ignore the meaningless chatter around him. Didn't his friends know the conundrum he was faced with? You'd think they'd be a bit more understanding. It was true that while he was trying to think he should've gone to a quieter place but a very blond, very troublesome woman had _insisted _that he come out with his friends. Releasing a breath of exasperation, he tried to think again. _'Stay close to home, go away. Stay close to home, go away. Stay close to home-'_

"Shikamaru!"

"Go away."

"What?!" Ino shrieked. "You ungrateful jerk! I asked you to come here so that we could all spend time together and here you are lost in your thoughts once again! I swear, Auntie Yoshino was so right about you being-"

"Ino, please"

Turing toward the source of the voice, Ino rolled her eyes. "God, you're always coming to his rescue."

Neji shook his head tersely. "You don't understand but you should try to. Shikamaru is trying to come to a very important decision and he does _not_ need your nagging."

She scoffed. "Yeah, he gets enough of that from you."

"Hey guys, let's just calm down; we were all havin' fun, right?"

"Shut up and mind your business, you idiot!"

"Sakura, I told you not to talk to him like that."

"I don't need you to protect me, bastard!"

"Don't you talk to Sasuke like that!"

"I can talk to him however I damn well please!"

"Who do you think you are, his boyfriend?"

"Of course I am, it's not my fault it took you so long to notice it! And _you_ call _me_ an idiot."

Silence.

Shikamaru sighed inwardly. He'd just lost a bet. Shikamaru and Kiba made a bet over five months prior with Shikamaru believing that Sakura would come to recognize the relationship between Sasuke and Naruto before either of the boys would have to tell her outright. At first it had seemed as though he would be in for a decent sized payout but as the months drew on, the Nara couldn't believe how dense Sakura was turning out to be.

His attention was drawn back to the table as Sakura pushed her chair out and quickly ran out of the doors of the global house of flapjacks, or as it was more commonly know, the GHOF, and down the street. The silence drew on and nobody said anything until Kiba whistled and cut his eyes toward Shikamaru.

"I think I just came into some cash."

--

The Nara sat underneath one of the large oak trees on his family's property, admiring the nice, cool evening. As he looked toward the sky, he heard soft, almost hesitant footsteps behind him and he smiled inwardly. There was only one person who would be considerate enough in trying not to interrupt his "independent introspective" time, as said person liked to call it.

"Hey babe." Shikamaru said, not moving from his spot.

"Tsk, you always know when I'm here. How do you do that?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Wanna sit down?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.

Neji smoothed his skirt and sat down beside the younger boy. "What are you up to?"

His response was a sigh as he shut his eyes and leaned back against the bark of the tree. "You know I'm not gonna let you beat around the bush." He shifted slightly. "Why'd you have to get into it again with Ino today?"

Neji bit his bottom lip, looking away from his boyfriend. Yes it was true, he and the Nara had started dating as soon as the younger graduated from the prestigious academy that the both of them had attended in their youth. In the large village they lived in, there were numerous high schools one had the option of attending, so it was no surprise when Shikamaru decided to attend the high school where Neji had enrolled the year before.

What did come as a surprise however was that Shikamaru's closest friend, Chouji had decided to follow the Nara there; this caused Ino, Shikamaru's second closest friend, to follow her boyfriend, Chouji, Sakura to follow Ino, Naruto to follow Sakura, Kiba _and_ Sasuke to follow Naruto and Shino to follow Kiba. Hinata's father had already made the decision that she would stay close to her relative who was already in the school. In Shikamaru's opinion, this was a terribly, troublesome chain reaction.

Though Neji's surprise came when was waiting for Shikamaru on the front steps of the school one year prior.

--

_Flashback_

_It was the start of the pale-eyed boy's sophomore year and he was more than just a bit happy that his boyfriend would be attending school with him. As he turned and looked down the path, he sighed inwardly. __**'Why can't he ever be on time?'**__Neji asked himself. Glancing at his cell phone, he wondered if he should call Shikamaru and remind him that it was the first day of school but he restrained himself._

_He sat down on the steps and sighed again. The bell was going to ring in ten minutes and Neji wanted to be able to speak to his boyfriend._

"_Why are you never on time, Shikamaru?" he asked aloud._

"_Because I love to make you worry about me."_

_Neji turned his head and smiled when he saw a silhouette that could only belong to one Nara Shikamaru. Standing quickly, he folded his arms over his chest in an attempt to be angry but he knew that Shikamaru had already seen him smile, so he dropped his arms and sighed again. As he looked at Shikamaru, he let his eye trail over the younger's body and knew immediately that something was amiss; the blazer the younger boy was wearing was a different color than his. _

_At the school they attended the color of one's blazer represented a certain hierarchy. The upperclassmen blazers were a deep green color while the underclassmen wore a rich blue color and knowing this, Neji raised an eyebrow._

"_They sent you the wrong color blazer?" he asked somewhat skeptically._

"_Mm, no." Shikamaru looked away from him. "Neji, I meant to tell you before now."_

'_**I must be wrong. He couldn't have possibly…'**__He reached up and turned Shikamaru's head so that the younger was looking at him. "Tell me what?"_

_"__I scored higher than I meant to on the entrance exam." He closed his eyes. "I'm a grade above you."_

_End Flashback_

--

Neji had always known that Shikamaru was a brilliant person and even before they'd started dating, they'd been very good friends so he knew that Shikamaru would only just barely pass his exams as opposed to getting the highest score possible, like Neji did.

Before they began dating, Shikamaru told Neji that he would be applying to enter his high school and he told the older boy that he would score high enough so that they would be in the same grade level but he hadn't anticipated how difficult the exam would be for an average student, so Shikamaru scored far higher than he meant to placing him in his junior year, instead of his sophomore.

Now in his senior year, Shikamaru was trying to determine which would be a better decision for him; to go away to a great university or to stay close to home and go to a good university, while he waited for Neji for another year.

Truth be told, the only people who knew of the difficult decision he was trying to come to were his parents, his teacher, Asuma, and of course, Neji. He wanted to wait for Neji and stay close to the older boy but his parents were a different story. His mother was adamant about him going to the best university which about 12 hours away if one was driving but his father said that he should do whatever he felt was right but, for the first time in his life, Nara Shikamaru had no idea what to do and he knew that Neji knew.

Which is why the Hyuuga had been very short tempered lately. He and Ino had never been friends and he knew that Shikamaru loved her dearly as a sister, a fact that he made sure was very obvious, but he wouldn't allow anyone to put any extra stress on his beloved when he was trying to come to such an important decision, a decision that Neji was sure would somehow affect their relationship.

He loved Shikamaru, he really did but Neji didn't know if he wanted the younger boy to go away to college. He just wanted to be by Shikamaru's side, just as the younger man was always by his; like when he came out to his uncle just before he started dating Shikamaru, the Nara had been right beside him and when Neji had gotten in trouble for wearing the girl's uniform on Shikamaru's first day at their school. The younger boy stood up for Neji and declared that it was not a written rule that a boy couldn't wear a girl's uniform or vice versa. He wanted to be able to stand up for Shikamaru and he would do it whenever he saw fit.

"Neji."

He hadn't realized that Shikamaru was speaking to him. "Yes?"

Shikamaru looked his boyfriend over and sighed. He loved Neji but he knew the older man like the back of his hand and he knew that when Neji was quiet for long periods of time that his brain was working and the thoughts that came were always pessimistic and Shikamaru didn't know if he wanted to deal with that at the moment.

Yes, Neji was very intelligent but on a somewhat different plane than Shikamaru. Neji would be able to pick things up through simple demonstration and wouldn't need much else to help him learn that one concept. Shikamaru on the other hand, could learn things through demonstration or explanation and his mind would automatically move on to the next logical step. So while Neji's mind was still on that first notion, Shikamaru would be at least four steps ahead of him. Which is why Shikamaru knew where their conversation was about to go.

"Hmm, it wasn't anything important." He said while wrapping his arm around Neji's neck and pulling the older to lie against his chest.

Despite their slight age difference, Shikamaru was taller than Neji, though not significantly, only about five or six inches and neither of them seemed to mind, though Neji was secretly glad. In the beginning, for some reason, he didn't think Shikamaru would want to go out with him because of their height and slight age difference but Shikamaru had made it abundantly clear that he didn't care what Neji looked like because what he loved about Neji wasn't physical and weeks later when Neji decided he liked wearing women's clothing much more than men's, he was glad Shikamaru didn't care.

"Shikamaru?" he called quietly as he buried his face in the younger's neck.

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry about earlier."

Shikamaru smiled. He knew it was hard for Neji to apologize and he knew when he did, he really meant it. "Its alright." he said as he kissed Neji's covered forehead. When he felt lips moving across his neck and gentle suction, he ran a hand through Neji's long hair.

"I haven't had you in so long, Shika." He said quietly against the younger's neck.

Shikamaru groaned contentedly as Neji moved his kisses and nips to the younger boy's shoulder, the feeling absolutely breath taking. He arched a bit as he felt Neji sink his teeth into his shoulder and gently lap the spot, the light movements of his tongue had Shikamaru imagining all the other things that tongue could be doing to him.

He quickly flipped them over so that Neji was underneath him, his mouth latching onto a pulse. Neji's hands came up and were immediately in Shikamaru's hair, trying with all of his conscious thought to remove the hair tie in his lover's hair as he tilted his head to the side, giving Shikamaru more room to work. When Shikamaru gave a particularly hard suck to his jaw, Neji cried out in pleasure. "Wa..wait…Shika-"

"No, no waiting." He said before Neji could finish his thought. Neji could feel his arousal increase at the sheer domination in Shikamaru's voice and he could feel how serious Shikamaru was as the younger's erection rubbed against his thigh. "I need you, Neji. Right now." he said as he moved upward and finally connected his lips to Neji's.

Shikamaru felt Neji's mouth open the instant he pressed his tongue to the seam of his lips and he tangled his tongue with the pale-eyed boys, loving his unique taste. He groaned as he felt Neji's hands slip between them and lightly brush over his throbbing length. It had been so long since he and Neji had done anything remotely sexual, what with all that had been going on lately, that every minuscule touch was bringing him waves of pleasure.

Lifting slightly but not breaking the contact of Neji's lips, Shikamaru brushed Neji's hand away and unbuttoned his pants and lowered his boxers, freeing his aching erection. He pulled his mouth away from Neji's to push up the smaller boy's skirt and pull down his green boyshorts.

Shikamaru quickly put his fingers to Neji's lips and the smaller took the incentive suck them. He moved his tongue languidly; occasionally nipping at Shikamaru's fingers and Shikamaru couldn't help but groan as he imagined Neji's mouth doing sinful things to him.

The next twenty minutes were a blur as Shikamaru pulled his fingers away from Neji's mouth, hurriedly prepared his entrance, and sank his length into the warm, familiar, welcoming heat that was Neji. To anyone passing by through the trees surrounding the Nara property, they would've heard the questionable sounds of passion emanating from the two young boys as their bodies danced in the forbidden way that survived the ages. They would've heard the panting breaths, they would've heard the gasps of pleasure, and they would've heard the screams of completion.

Unfortunately they wouldn't be the only people hearing those screams…

"NARA SHIKAMARU!"

--

Neji couldn't help but glare at Shikamaru as the boy doubled over in a fit of laughter and as much as Neji loved to hear his boyfriend's laugh, he couldn't think of a more annoying sound at the moment. He was beyond pissed that Shikamaru hadn't told him that his skirt was tucked into the back of his underwear. He could only thank the heavens that it was already dark out and they were the only two walking along the street that led to Neji's house.

As soon as they heard Shikamaru's mother's voice the boys had started to run at a speed that to a normal person would've seemed amazing but to those who knew Shikamaru and Neji, it was what was to be expected the stars of the track team of Konoha academy. The two had been warned numerous times, after Shikamaru's mother had walked in on them on one occasion, to first of all, never have sex in her home and second of all, to never have sex on her property. However, Shikamaru's father had told them very shortly after that his wife was simply surprised to find out that her son was not who she thought he was and was punishing everyone she came into contact with in one way or another. So when they heard her shrill cry break across the expanse of the forest behind the Nara home, both panicked and fled, meaning that their clothes were thrown on haphazardly, thus Neji's trapped skirt.

"It really isn't that funny." He muttered darkly.

Shikamaru tried to hide his laughter but he knew Neji could still hear his snickers. Honestly, it wasn't even the fact that Neji's skirt was trapped in his panties, the older boy's reactions were always somewhat over the top when he was solely in Shikamaru's company. He ran up beside the smaller boy and wrapped an arm around his neck. "Sorry."

"If you were sorry, you wouldn't still be laughing." Neji said as he shurrged Shikamaru's arm off and walked ahead of him.

Shikamaru knew how to play this game. Snorting, he put his hands behind his head and turned around. "Fine then, I'll just go home. See you Monday."

'_Three. Two. One.'_

Neji's arms wrapped around his waist and he pressed his face between Shikamaru's shoulder blades. "I hate it when you do that."

Shikamaru turned and wrapped an arm around Neji's waist and kissed his forehead. "Yeah, I know. I'll make it up to you."

"Shopping?"

"You know it."

--

Shikamaru hated shopping like no other but to please his love muffin, he would endure it. He smirked at the nickname _'love muffin'_. He'd only called Neji that to annoy him in the beginning and to actually call his boyfriend by the name aloud was a rarity but Neji didn't seem to mind when he did.

He watched as Neji ducked around rows of clothing in store and Shikamaru still couldn't help but be the slightest bit amazed when Neji's would ask a salesgirl for help. Were none of these women perceptive enough to notice that Neji wasn't a woman? Maybe they were but none of them cared; it wouldn't be surprising if they didn't though, after all, Shikamaru didn't care but he was biased.

When Neji had told him a year prior that he preferred women's clothing, Shikamaru was almost surprised but then he figured that just because he wasn't expecting something didn't mean it had to be unexpected but besides all that, he already loved Neji and the change of clothing did accentuate the smaller's beautiful body, so it wasn't all bad and if the Nara had to choose, he definitely would've chosen his boyfriend's current attire.

He continued watching Neji as the Hyuuga happily looked at the hats and headbands in the next store over and sighed. How was he going to live without him? How could he go away and just leave happiness, his world behind? As he moved to stand next to Neji at the register, he knew he would have to figure out what to do and figure it out soon.

--

"That's such a disgusting habit." Neji remarked as he slid into the passenger seat of Shikamaru's car during their lunch break.

Shikamaru took another long pull of his cigarette. "Then get out."

Neji ignored his boyfriend's comment and pulled on a small blue hat that Shikamaru had purchased for him the day before. The Nara had thought the hat was one of the most amazing ones he'd ever laid eyes what with the blue as it's base color and the fluffy, white, miniature clouds that adorned it. He hadn't even asked Neji if he wanted it; he simply pulled the hat over his boyfriend's head and ignored the small squawk that Neji would deny he released in his surprise, looked the smaller boy over while he was wearing the hat and unceremoniously pulled it off and tossed into the pile of clothing in the salesgirl's arms. But now as he looked in the mirror, Neji had to admit that it was a pretty cute hat.

"Hey Shika," he called absently.

"Hmm?"

"What would you think of me cutting my hair?"

Shikamaru dropped his cigarette to the asphalt below and snuffed it out before leaning back in the driver's seat. "What do you think?"

"I don't know. Tenten mentioned something about a change being good but I like how it is now," he turned to look at Shikamaru and wasn't surprised when he found dark brown orbs focused on him. "Don't you?"

"I do." Shikamaru agreed. _'And I think I need to have a little talk with Tenten.'_

--

"I was only suggesting-"

"I know what you were suggesting," Shikamaru said and cut his eyes at the girl standing in front of him. "And if I ever even _think_ that you're _suggesting_ anything like that again, I'll make your life a living hell."

Tenten's eyes widened as she took in Shikamaru's implications. She knew she would have to deal with him sooner or later after she merely hinted that Neji might want a change of hair style, that maybe his old one was getting tired. Of course she knew that Neji would be able to read between the lines and see that his hair was an analogy for his and Shikamaru's relationship but honestly, if the Nara was about to leave for college, what was the point of waiting around idly for a year for one another when there were so many prospects before each of them, Neji especially.

It hadn't even been her idea really. It had been that damned girlfriend of hers. She knew that the older woman wanted Shikamaru in a way that could only be matched by Neji but for some reason knowing that she had competition made Tenten's girlfriend that much hotter, though not for Shikamaru but her competition. Tenten rolled her eyes at the thought. _'C'mon Ten, how many hot seventeen year old guys do you see on a daily basis with a beauty that rivals most women? You gotta want him.'_ She scoffed at the thought. Tenten had known Neji since they were children and at this point in their lives, she considered Neji to be family in an odd sort of way. This time she scoffed while rolling her eyes. _'Temari really is a piece of work sometimes.'_

--

Neji could not understand his uncle for the life of him. When he'd come out to the man a year prior as a homosexual in a relationship, Neji had to admit that Hiashi had taken it fairly well. However, when he stated that he had no further desire to dress in the way society expected him too his uncle had truly surprised him.

--

_Flashback_

"_You want to do what?" Hiashi asked, setting down his morning paper. He looked across the breakfast table to where his nephew sat, eyes turned down, brow knitted together._

_It was a beautiful summer day the week before the Neji would begin his sophomore year at the prestigious academy Hiashi was paying top dollar for him to attend and they were sitting, enjoying a quiet meal together as a family, something they didn't do often, when Neji suddenly made his announcement. _

_Hiashi looked between his nephew and his nephew's boyfriend, who'd taken to eating breakfast at his home and shook his head, "Please, if this is something you two wish to do 'privately' do not let me interfere but-"_

"_Uncle," Neji cut the man off. "I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say."_

_The tense silence that flowed through the room did not bother Shikamaru apparently as the younger man continued to eat his breakfast but when he felt a sharp kick to his leg, he looked up and regarded his boyfriend with bored eyes. "What?" and when Neji's eyes narrowed, he simply released a sigh. "Look, just because everyone else is uncomfortable and ignoring their hunger, why should I ignore mine? There's nothing bothering me."_

"_Shikamaru," Neji growled, he truly could not believe the boy sitting across from him sometimes._

"_Neji," his uncle began. "Please explain this so that I may understand."_

_Neji raked his fingers through long brown hair, curtaining himself from anyone's gaze. "I just feel more comfortable…." He mumbled._

"_In female clothing?"_

_Neji felt his face flush but nodded._

"_What about track?"_

"_I'll still do track…"_

_Hiashi sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Neji, I have to ask, is Shikamaru somehow influcing you to do this?"_

_"__No!"_

"_Look, Hiashi." Both Neji and Hiashi turned to look at Shikamaru as he took a bite of toast, Hiashi narrowing his eyes; he'd never liked the informal way the Nara addressed him. "This is Neji's decision and I have nothing to do with it nor do I have anything to say about it. As his uncle, if there's a way to make him feel more comfortable, shouldn't you be all for it?"_

"_Nara, whatever I decide for my nephew is my decision and mine alone! I don't-"_

"_Uncle, please. I don't ask for much, but this is something I really want."_

_Hiashi sat back in his seat and thought. Did he really want to let Neji do this? Did he really want to allow his only nephew to endure the ridicule and reluctance that was sure to come his way with this drastic change? And if he did allow Neji to do this, what would it say about Hiashi? Neji went to school with a lot of people who were the children of his business associates, what would they think about Hiashi? Though as these questions ran through the man's mind, he had to ask himself if he was really comfortable with Neji dressing like this in his presence._

"_Neji" he began quietly. "If this is what you truly want to do, then I will allow it." he paused to collect his thoughts, missing the relived look on Neji's face. "However, when I am home or you are in my presence, you will dress as you are now."_

_End Flashback_

_--_

"I hate this," Neji grumbled as he put on one of Shikamaru's t-shirts. "I don't understand why he makes me dress like this."

Shikamaru almost smiled as he wrapped his arms around Neji's waist and kissed his head. "Yes you do." He turned Neji around in his arms and brought their lips together in a short kiss. "You know it still makes him uncomfortable to see you dressed like that."

"Mmm," he turned around and walked to his dresser, pulling out a pair of panties and was about to slip them on when they were suddenly snatched from his hand. "Hey!"

"Wear some briefs today."

"Why?"

"Your uncle is here."

"So what."

Shikamaru simply raised an eyebrow and Neji glared at him as he snatched his underwear back and slipped a pair of cargo shorts over them. He quickly left the room with Shikamaru hot on his tail. They'd been doing this a lot lately, walking away from each other or one following behind the other only to spend the rest of the day unconsciously attached at the hip and this day wasn't any different from the rest. As soon as they reached Neji's living room, Shikamaru sat down heavily in an armchair and wasn't surprised when Neji nearly sat on his lap.

"Shikamaru," Neji said suddenly, twisting his body so that his legs went over Shikamaru's lap. "We need to talk about-"

"Not right now." he said distractedly as he began reading one of the books that filled the large room.

"How do you know what I'm going to say?"

"Because I know you." He answered without thinking.

Neji released a frustrated sigh and closed his eyes. "We're going to have to talk about this sooner or later."

When he received silence, Neji twisted his body one more so that his head was in Shikamaru's lap and his legs went over the arm of the chair._ 'Why is he ignoring this?'_ Neji asked himself as he played with the ends of his hair. _'Why won't he just talk to me?'_

--

Shikamaru listened quietly to sound of rustling as another chip was extracted from the plastic bag. He leaned back and watched the familiar white clouds drift across the sky above as he began to play the little game he'd grown accustomed to._ 'Stay, go away. Stay, go away. Stay…go away.'_ He couldn't choose, either decision would make a difference in his life; from each he would benefit but he would also lose.

"What would you do?" he asked his companion quietly.

Chouji set down his bag of chips. "I'd wait for her." he said without thinking. "But you're in a completely different situation."

"I know." He said somewhat absently.

"But…" Chouji began thoughtfully. "Whatever you do, you know you're not gonna disappoint him."

Shikamaru sighed. _'If I leave him here and go away to school, he'll probably be pissed. On the other hand…if I stay here and wait around for him, he might think that I'm missing a good opportunity; no, a great opportunity.'_ He sat up and rubbed his eyes wearily. _'I know what I have to do.'_

--

Neji sat in Naruto's studio apartment watching the small blonde boy making uneven lines on the easel before him. He had gone over to speak with the blonde that day but when he arrived, Naruto mentioned something about needing to 'capture the wind' and went about painting.

As much as Neji hated to be ignored, he had to admit it, Naruto was entertaining. The boy was irritated so easily when his piece didn't come out the way he wanted, if it even came out.

About half an hour after Neji arrived, Naruto's boyfriend had shown up. Sasuke didn't even knock; he simply opened the door and walked through the place like he owned it, not sparing the Hyuuga a passing glace as he walked in Naruto's kitchen.

When the raven returned minutes later, he sat down beside Neji and began leisurely eating what Neji could identify as ramen when an orange blur flew into the Uchiha's lap and snatched the cup of instant noodles out of the boy's hand and began eating with such speed that Neji was sure he would be sick. _'How can anyone eat like that?'_ he wondered to himself.

"Tch, dobe." Sasuke said blankly. "You're disgusting your guest."

Naruto shifted in Sasuke's lap until he could see Neji and looked at him with questioning eyes as he slurped his noodles. "Wan' some?" he asked while holding the cup toward the pale eyed boy.

"No." Neji said quickly "Thank you, but that's not why I'm here."

"Why are you here?" Sasuke asked disdainfully. He was only slightly upset that the Hyuuga had interrupted his and Naruto's limited time together because he knew that if Neji was seeking Naruto that he wanted to ask for advice.

Neji eyes narrowed as he looked at the Uchiha. He knew that Sasuke had had a rough life and often times tried to ignore his asshole-ish attitude but today he was in no mood.

Neji often sought Naruto out when he had a problem and the blonde was surprisingly helpful. Years ago, when they were in middle school, he and Naruto had gotten into a terrible fight and for the majority of it, it appeared that Neji would be the victor but Naruto had surprised everyone when he came back strong with an unmistakable aura of rage surrounding him and beat Neji. Naruto told him to follow his dreams and to stop doing what he thought was predefined for him by a higher force; advice Neji would take to heart and follow with his head held high. If he were to be honest with himself, Neji would admit that it was Naruto's words that allowed him to finally tell Shikamaru how he felt, come out to his family, and ultimately change his style of dress.

So with a sigh he looked at Naruto with unmasked sadness and spoke.

"I don't want him to leave." He said quietly.

Naruto's eyes saddened as he tried to move off of Sasuke when hands gripped his hips and held him in place. He glared at Sasuke for a moment before he looked back to Neji. "Have you told him?"

Neji shook his head. "He won't talk to me about it. He always says 'not now' or 'I'm busy'.'

Naruto thought for a moment, wondering how he could help his friend before a thought came to him; he remembered how Sasuke would get him to do something he didn't want to do. He thought briefly about his choice of words, smirking inwardly. "You sure have changed, Neji."

Neji looked him questioningly. "What do you mean?" he asked, suddenly feeling very insecure about himself.

"The Neji I knew would never just concede if someone were to tell him 'not now', the Neji I knew would stand up and keep going until the person he was talking to listened to him, the Neji I knew would never do something that made him uncomfortable no matter how much he loved the person telling him what to do." Naruto turned his nose up and sneered.

Neji's jaw would've dropped if he hadn't been clinching it so tightly. He was so angry but he knew that it was partially true. How could he just keep giving into Shikamaru's will? He knew he loved the Nara like no other but now as he thought about it, he was pliant to nearly everything that was the younger's will and now as he thought about it, it really pissed him off.

He stood quickly and stalked out of Naruto's apartment not saying goodbye and not noticing the smirks that played on the faces of his companions.

Sasuke shook his head as he laughed softly himself. "Dobe, you're terrible. You knew just how to play him."

Naruto smirked as he leaned into Sasuke. "I learn from the best."

--

Shikamaru released an exasperated breath as he raised his hand to knock on Neji's front door, completely caught off guard when said person jerked the door open, glared, then grabbed him and threw him inside. He looked up as Neji walked over to him and was surprised to find the smaller boy pacing back and forth, meaning Neji had something very important on his mind. As the Nara opened his mouth to speak, his boyfriend raised a palm, silencing him.

Neji turned to Shikamaru and took a deep, calming breath before he spoke. "I have something to say and I need you to listen." When he saw Shikamaru opened his mouth, he raised his palm again. "Please Shikamaru, this has been a long time in coming."

Shikamaru was inwardly panicking. Was Neji going to break-up with him? _'Oh God'_ he pleaded. _'Please don't let him leave me. This is my entire fault.'_ He sighed as he watched Neji sit on the couch beside him and noticed that the boy's hand was shaking as he ran it through his hair. He reached across the small space between them and shifted on the couch so that one his legs rested on the couch, spreading them as one remained on the floor and pulled Neji between them, stroking the boys head as it fell on his chest. "Tell me." He said quietly.

Neji held onto one of Shikamaru's arms as he closed his eyes. "I love you." He said softly, not sure if Shikamaru could hear him. Despite loving each other for quite some time, neither had expressed the sentiment verbally but now that it was out there, Neji felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Leaning up, he locked eyes with Shikamaru and said it again. "I love you." He punctuated his statement with a kiss.

"I love you and I don't want you to leave me here. Alone. What am I going to do if you leave me, Shikamaru? I know it sounds selfish and I should want the best for you, I do want the best for you but what am I going to do if you find someone else? What am I going to do if you forget me, _outgrow_ me? What am I going to do without you?" he turned his face into the younger's chest as he felt tears sting his eyes.

Shikamaru continued to stroke Neji's head as he felt the boy's lithe body begin to tremble in his grasp. He gently took Neji's chin betwixt his fingers and brought shimmering, cloudy eyes to his face. "How could I outgrow you? How could I forget you or find someone else? Don't you know how much I need you?" he closed his eyes as he wrapped his arm around Neji's waist. "Don't you know how much I love you?"

Time was a blur as lips and hands gently caressed. They were lost to each other as clothes came off and were strewn across the living room. It wasn't uncommon for the two to make love slowly and unhurried but there was something about this time that was almost groundbreaking with hushed words of affections and soft, tender touches that they received from one another.

The afterward was as normal as ever with the cuddling and leisurely kisses that were laid across lips and cheeks. As they lay naked on Neji's living room couch, Shikamaru's hand trailing up and down the brunet's back, enjoying their silence Neji leaned upward and looked at Shikamaru with sad eyes and the doe-eyed boy knew what Neji wanted.

"I came to this decision before I came over here today and I'm not going to change it." he said firmly, watching as Neji's bottom lip began to tremble. They sat still for a long moment before a broad grin broke out on the Nara's face. "I'm not leaving!" he said with as much excitement that Neji had ever seen from his ever-bored boyfriend.

Neji sighed in relief and hugged Shikamaru tightly to him, thanking whatever entity had heard his long whispered prayers.

As Shikamaru pulled away from Neji he smiled. "I realized that I couldn't leave you, you're far too important to me." He said. "I love you too much, baby and besides, I don't mind waiting a year for you. I know you can get into that school and it gives me time to relax."

Neji nodded knowingly. He was finally able to breathe easily now that he knew Shikamaru was going to wait for him. "Thank you, Shika, so much." He said softly as he hugged him. "I love you."

'_I don't mind waiting for you, not in the least because in waiting I can be where I need to be; by your side.'_

--

End.

It took longer than I anticipated to write this.

If you took the time to read this please leave a review.

No flames. Thanks.

I know I should be working on the next chapter of 'Their Story' or one of those gift-fics but I wanna put up a birthday fic for Shika.

Please vote on the poll on my page.

-torib0o (9/20)


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